The Iowa House gave final legislative approval to a 10 cents per gallon increase in the state fuel tax this afternoon, sending the bill, Senate File 257 to Gov. Terry Branstad, who has supported finding a way to cover a $215 million a year shortfall in cash for needed road and bridge repairs.

Residents of Greater Des Moines are invited to share their opinions on which local transportation projects they would like to see receive funding from the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Downtown Des Moines' free shuttle service, D-Line, is in financial trouble again. Operation Downtown on July 1 plans to eliminate its $72,000 funding for the downtown shuttle, an approximately $350,000-a-year operation that carries 11,000 to 15,000 riders per month. That's about a 20 percent cut in revenue.

Des Moines-area local governments will have to come up with at least another $10 million a year -- a 33 percent increase -- just to keep overall road conditions steady, an analysis by the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization found.

The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 at Easter Seals Camp Sunnyside Lodge, 401 N.E. 66th Ave., to discuss the proposed removal of a bridge over Northwest 66th Avenue on Iowa Highway 415.